A couple weeks ago, if somewhere were to bring up Hozier, I would've thought, "Oh yeah, the 'Take Me to Church' guy who's probably some indie sellout turned overplayed pop star."
Oh, how naive I was.
Now that I've done my homework, I know those assumptions are so far from the truth. Andrew Hozier- Bryne is an incredibly humble, gawky, 6'5" Irish singer with a thick accent and a nervous stutter. The type of guy who has his mom paint his cover art (awwwwwww). He is a dedicated lyricist who is not afraid to question social constructs that he feels repress aspects of human nature. He brings up topics like love, sex, and death with such supreme intimacy, wearing his heart on his sleeve through his songs. And best of all, he says time and time again he's blown away by the amount of success his work has achieved.
Though he's been writing songs since the age of 15, "Take Me to Church" was the first song Hozier released professionally in 2013, and I think we're all aware of how big it has gotten since. This made me unrightfully cast him off as a one-hit-wonder-- just another Hollywood contrived musician that isn't worth the time of day. It took me months to give his full album a chance, but now I can't stop listening to it. I mean blasting it in the morning, dancing to it on the way to class, waiting for moments alone to sing the lyrics at the top of my lungs. The songs are catchy, not to mention he is talented beyond belief. His voice is heartfelt and strong, his music shifts from delicate acoustic to folk and blues rock seamlessly, and his lyrics are pure poetry.
Everything from dancey songs like "Someone New" to solemn love songs like "Cherry Wine" are included in his self titled album, which I would highly recommend looking into. It's clear this is a kid who has hit it big for the right reasons. Knowing artists like Hosier make it to the radio despite today's superficial music industry is a huge relief. There's some hope left for starving artists after all!
